There is always more to the story than just what ends
up between the pages. This page takes a behind the scenes look at His
Mistress by Morning including research I did while writing the book,
character tidbits, and more. Happy reading! ~Elizabeth
avon books
ISBN: 0-060-78402-4
August 29, 2006
Every book has a different inspiration, that moment when the idea bursts to life in my imagination and I know it won't stop clamoring at me until I write the darn thing. The idea for His Mistress by Morning came along one night after watching the movie You Wish on the Disney Channel with my young son, Nicholas. The story is about Alex, a teenaged boy with a pesky little brother. Alex receives a magic coin and unwittingly wishes that he'd never had a little brother. Overnight, Alex is an only child and his life is so very different--but after some time enjoying his newfound popularity, Alex realizes there was much to love about his old life, and even his lost little brother. I won't tell you more, because the movie is fun to watch.
So, after the movie, Nicholas turned to me and said, "If you had a magic coin, Mommy, what would you wish for?" In that instant, my imagination saw not a coin, but a ring--a small, inconsequential ring, and I saw a family and the havoc such a ring might bring to their lives, and the lessons that could be learned from making hasty, yet heartfelt wishes. Not only that, the old adage, "be careful what you wish for" started ringing through my head. But here I was, just starting the Bachelor Chronicles, (Something about Emmaline, This Rake of Mine) with several books plotted out and ready to write, yet Charlotte and Sebastian's story became like an annoying neighbor--jumping into my thoughts at all hours, plaguing me with questions and scene ideas, until I said, "Enough, already!" and I begged my editor to let me write their book. Besides, I had been hankering to do a story with some fun paranormal elements ever since I'd put that meddling and magical matchmaker into It Takes a Hero and "The Matchmaker's Bargain" from Hero, Come Back.
But what I loved most about this book was the actually story telling challenge it presented. It had one very difficult technical aspect to master--first of all, the first two thirds of the story is told entirely in Charlotte's point of view, with only a couple of short lapses into Quince's point of view. Since this is Charlotte's wish, and her wish "world," the story could only be told from her point of view. Now I love getting into the hero's head--letting him tell his side of the story and let the reader see the conflict he feels over the heroine, but I knew that if I went into Sebastian's head it would take away from Charlotte's misgivings about her new life. So at times I found myself pacing the floor as to how to tell Sebastian's story without cheating by getting into his head. How did I do it? I tried to make sure the reader sees through his actions how much he loves his "Lottie" and his struggles to hold onto her mercurial heart.
The other challenge contains some spoiler elements, so if you want to learn about it, you'll have to click here.
- Charlotte Wilmont (aka Lottie Townsend) -- Our heroine is a shy spinster who wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to Viscount Trent. She's been in love with him for ages, but much to her dismay, he can't remember her name and often mistakes her for the drapes. But when she wishes to be the woman Sebastian loves, she gets that and a lot more.
- Sebastian Marlowe, Viscount Trent -- Staid and true to his financially challenged family, Sebastian needs to make an advantageous marriage to raise their coffers. And his bride of choice is the elegant and perfect Miss Lavinia Burke. That is until Charlotte's wish turns the world upside down and now Sebastian is one of the town's leading rakes.
- Miss Lavinia Burke -- An Original with a fortune behind her, she's the object of desire for every man in town. What's not to hate?
- Lady Hermione Marlowe -- Sebastian's scatterbrained sister and Charlotte's best friend. Hermione loves riotous colors and making great poises to attract the attention of her secret love . . .
- The Earl of Rockhurst -- What isn't there to love about this rakish cad? He's rich, handsome and when Charlotte makes her wish, suddenly he's a rival for her affections. But the earl harbors his own magical secrets, but those will have to wait for now.
- Cousin Finella Uppington Higgins (aka Mrs. Finny Birley) -- Having taken in Charlotte and her mother after Charlotte's father dies and leaves them nearly nothing, her strait-laced cousin's rules and sense of propriety are second to none. That is until Charlotte's wish turns Finella into Lottie Townsend's "manager". Goodbye rules and order Finella, hello wild and crazy Finny. You know, I wasn't planning on liking this character when I sat down to write the book, but by the end, I have to admit, I really, really loved her.
- The Honorable Griffin Marlowe -- Sebastian's mad-cap younger brother. An amateur scientist (emphasis on amateur), he thinks he's found a way to "trick time" and he's building a carriage to take him to the 21st century.
- Lady Viola Marlowe -- The youngest Marlowe, Viola watches the antics of her older brothers and sisters with a bemused eye. But Viola's got a bit of magic of her own, but that, like Griffin's time machine will have to wait.
- Clarice Marlowe, Countess of Walbrook -- The Shakespeare loving, affable and madcap matron of the Marlowe clan, her husband has been gone for over ten years on an exhibition to the far reaches of the world. She presides over her children with advice gleaned from the Bard and a shove in the right direction when necessary.
- » See the entire Marlowe family on their very own Family Tree.
Whenever I write a book, I end up with an album or a playlist that I have on when I sit down to write, if only because it puts me in the story mood almost immediately. Some songs have inspired a scene, and others end up on the list because the mood or beat brings to mind an emotion I want to convey in the book. The list for this book turned out to be a diverse collection of music--a little bit of everything. I mean, whoever thought Guns N' Roses could inspire a Regency romance novel? But for better or worse, here is the playlist I developed and listened to while I wrote His Mistress By Morning:
- ~ Faithfully, Journey, Journey: Greatest Hits
- ~ Iris, The Goo Goo Dolls, Dizzy Up the Girl
- ~ Put a Little Love in Your Heart, Mary Mary, Stuart Little 2 Soundtrack
- ~ On Golden Pond, Dave Grusin & London Symphony Orchestra, Cinemagic
- ~ Another Small Adventure, Chantal Kreviazuk, Stuart Little 2 Soundtrack
- ~ Rebel Yell, Billy Idol, Billy Idol: Greatest Hits
- ~ Till I See You Again, The Romantic, The Romantics
- ~ Your Love, The Outfield, Grand Theft Auto Vice City
- ~ In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel, So
- ~ Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson, Breakaway
- ~ Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction
- ~ Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House, Recurring Dream - The Very Best of Crowded House
- ~ With or Without You, U2, The Joshua Tree
- ~ Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins, Thompson Twins: Greatest Hits
- ~ Only You, Yaz, The Best of Yaz
- ~ Top of the World, Mandy Moore, Stuart Little 2 Soundtrack
- ~ Feelin' Stronger Every Day, Chicago, Chicago VI
- ~ Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations, The Very Best of the Foundations
- ~ September, Earth, Wind & Fire, Earth, Wind & Fire: Greatest Hits
This isn't a complete list of the books I used to research His Mistress by Morning, as I have an always growing library about the Regency. These are the books that lived on my desk while I was writing this book, the ones I reached for every time I had a question.
Because Lottie is a famous courtesan, I read quite a bit about women in that trade, not only in England but throughout the world:
- ~ The Game of Hearts: Harriette Wilson's Memoirs, ed. by Lesley Blanch
- ~ Courtesans: Money Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century by Katie Hickman
- ~ The Book of Courtesans by Susan Griffin
- ~ Autobiography of a Geisha by Say Masuda
- ~ Sexual Life in England, Past and Present by Ivan Bloch
- ~ The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex by Barbara Keesling
And there were other notable areas to research:
- ~ The History of Gambling in England by John Ashton
- ~ The A to Z of Regency London by Harry Margary
- ~ The Regency Reference Book by Emily Hendrickson
Finally,
I would not have been able to clothe Lottie without the wonderful help
of Candice
Hern and her Collections.
Click on Lottie's
Closet to discover what it was that Lottie was wearing.
I get asked a lot where I find my books, and the two places I always look first are: abebooks.com and powells.com.
First and foremost, I used the fashion plates from Candice Hern's Collections to help inspire Charlotte's clothes. Take a look at Lottie's closet.
Since I put the Marlowe's house on Berkeley Square (below left), I found both pictures of the Square near to the time period of the book, and took some of my own on a recent trip to London, including this one (below right). As I was looking around the Square, I found one house that I thought suited the eccentric Marlowes to the letter--the white one in the middle. Not quite the biggest house on the block, but the one I thought best reflected their eccentric charm.
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